1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a game machine and an information storage medium.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are known many driving games in which players enjoy to control moving bodies such as motorcars or motorcycles. Recently, in such driving games there are often provided a plurality of selectable game modes such as a time-attack mode as well as a competition mode in which each player can enjoy to compete with other players. Moreover, game machines which provides high-quality images in real time for a real driving simulation are being developed.
In these game machines, an object representing a racing car or the like is formed by a plurality of integrated polygons. In such a case, the quality of the image can be improved by increasing the number of polygons in the object.
However, if the number of polygons is increased for all objects to be used, huge amount of data must be processed. A game machine required to provide images in real time has a limited amount of data that can be processed within a given period of time. When such a game machine processes an increased amount of data, it will not properly be able to process the data. For example, the movement of viewpoint may be extremely slow; part of moving picture may be skipped like a stop-motion photography; or many objects may disappear without being displayed.
One technique for solving such a problem is to change the number of polygons for representing display objects according to the distance from the player""s viewpoint. In other words, a lot of polygons are used for an object which is nearer from the player""s viewpoint, while polygons of the smaller number is used for an object which is far from the player""s viewpoint.
According to this technique, in a competition mode for a racing game, for example, a plurality of racing cars may be displayed on a screen when the racing cars crowd before the player""s racing car. In this case, all of the racing cars are displayed by objects having very increased number of polygons (or highly detailed objects) since the player""s viewpoint is close to the racing cars. This increases the amount of data to be processed in one frame, leading to the aforementioned problem.
On the other hand, there is a time-attack mode in which only one racing car for the player runs, for example. In such a case, it is desirable to provide a high-quality images representing the player""s racing car by using a highly detailed object, since there is no trouble caused by crowded racing cars.
It is therefore an objective of the present invention to simply provide a game machine having a plurality of play patterns for a game, the play patterns being different from each other in the numbers of moving-body objects entering the game, for providing images of a highest quality for each play pattern in real time, and also provide an information storage medium suitable for use in such a game machine.
(1) According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a game machine having a plurality of play patterns for a game, the play patterns being different from each other in the number of moving-body objects used in the game, comprising:
an accuracy setting means for setting the accuracy of the moving-body objects for each of the play patterns, so that more accurate images of the moving-body objects are generated in a play pattern which has a less number of the moving-body objects in the game; and
an image generation means for generating images of the moving-body objects based on the accuracy of the moving-body objects set for each of the play patterns.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer-readable information storage medium having a program for implementing the above-described means. As an example of the program, there is a computer-usable program (including a program embodied in a carrier wave) which has a processing routine for implementing the above-described means.
Objects entering the game are not necessarily displayed on a screen. For example, when the number of moving bodies entering a race is N, the number of moving-body objects entering the game becomes N, even if the number of moving-body objects displayed on the screen is M.
The play pattern is determined by the number of moving-body objects in both of the single-player and the multi-player game. For example, when the single-player game has the competition and time-attack modes, if these modes are different in the number of moving-body objects entering the game, it can be the that they have different play patterns. When the moving-body objects corresponding the number of players entering the multi-player game enter that game, the play pattern will be determined by the number of entering players.
When the game machine is used for a game having a plurality of game stages which are different from each other in the number of moving-body objects in each game stage, it can be considered that the play pattern is determined for each game stage.
If a plurality of races such as preliminary race, semifinal race and final race are performed in the same game stage with the number of moving-body objects being different from one race to the other, it can be considered that the play patterns for these races are also different from each other.
Alternatively, the same accuracy may be set for a given range of the number of moving-body objects. In this case, it can be considered that the play patterns are different if the number of moving-body objects thereof are not within the same range.
A highly detailed image having details represented by an increased number of polygons is considered an accurate image.
In this way, when there is a plurality of play patterns which are different from each other in the number of moving-body objects entering the game, the accuracy of the moving-body objects can be set for each play pattern.
Therefore, the present invention can simply provide a game machine having a plurality of play patterns for a game, the play patterns being different from each other in the numbers of moving-body objects entering the game, for providing images of a highest quality for each play pattern in real time, and also provide an information storage medium suitable for use in such a game machine.
Note that the image generation means may generate a more accurate image of the player""s moving body in a play pattern which has a less number of the moving-body objects in the game, when the play patterns are the same in the distances between a virtual camera and the moving-body objects.
(2) In the game machine, information storage medium and program relating to the present invention, the accuracy setting means may set the accuracy of a player""s moving body for each of the play patterns, so that a more accurate image of the player""s moving body can be generated in a play pattern which has a less number of the moving-body objects in the game; and the image generation means may generate a more accurate image of the player""s moving body in a play pattern which has a less number of the moving-body objects in the game, when the play patterns are the same in the distances between a player""s viewpoint and the moving-body objects.
When game images viewed from the third person""s viewpoint is to be represented, a player""s moving body is usually closest to the virtual camera. Therefore, the quality of the game images depends on the accuracy of the player""s moving body.
In this way, the optimum accuracy for the player""s moving body can be set for each play pattern in accordance with the number of the moving-body objects entering the game.
(3) According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a game machine having a plurality of play patterns for a game, the play patterns being different from each other in the number of moving-body objects used in the game, comprising:
a storage means for storing a plurality of items of modeling information which are different from each other in the accuracy of the moving-body objects; and
an image generation means for generating images of the moving-body objects by using an item of more accurate modeling information in a play pattern which has a less number of the moving-body objects in the game.
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer-readable information storage medium having a program for implementing the above-described means. As an example of the program, there is a computer-usable program (including a program embodied in a carrier wave) which has a processing routine for implementing the above-described means.
When polygon models are used for example, a plurality of items of modeling information which are different from each other in the accuracy of the moving-body objects are also different from each other in the number of polygons for representing the same moving-body object.
When there are a plurality of play patterns for a game, the play patterns being different from each other in the number of moving-body objects used in the game, images of the moving-body objects can be generated by using an item of more accurate modeling information in a play pattern which has a less number of the moving-body objects in the game.
Therefore, the present invention can simply provide a game machine having a plurality of play patterns for a game, the play patterns being different from each other in the numbers of moving-body objects entering the game, for providing images of a highest quality for each play pattern in real time, and also provide an information storage medium suitable for use in such a game machine.
(4) In the game machine, information storage medium and program relating to the present invention, the image generation means may generate an image of a player""s moving body by using an item of more accurate modeling information in a play pattern which has a less number of the moving-body objects in the game.
In this way, the optimum accuracy for the player""s moving body can be set for each play pattern in accordance with the number of the moving-body objects entering the game.
(5) The game machine, information storage medium and program relating to the present invention, may further comprise a selecting means for selecting a desired play pattern from the plurality of play patterns for the game.
Such a selection means may be applied in a case where a player selects a desired race among a plurality of races which are different from each other in the numbers of racing cars in a race, for example. Moreover, in a driving game or the like in which either of the time-attack mode or competition mode can be selected, the selection means can be applied.
In this way, images of the moving-body objects having the optimum accuracy can be generated for the play pattern selected by the player.
(6) The game machine may enable a player to play a multi-player game, and generate more accurate images of the moving-body objects in the multi-player game which has less number of players.
For example, if in the multi-player game, the number of moving-body objects entering the game is determined by the number of players entering the game, the play pattern is determined by the number of players. In such a case, more accurate images of the moving-body objects can be generated for a less number of players entering the multi-player game.
In this way, images of the moving-body objects having the optimum accuracy can be generated in accordance with the number of players entering the multi-player game.
(7) According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a game machine which provides a plurality of game spaces for a game, the game spaces being different from each other in the number of objects representing the same thing, comprising:
an accuracy setting means for setting the accuracy of the objects representing the same thing for each of the game spaces in accordance with the number of the objects representing the same thing; and
an image generation means for generating images of the objects representing the same thing based on the accuracy of the objects set for each of the game spaces,
wherein the image generation means generates more accurate images of the objects representing the same thing disposed in one of the game spaces which has less number of objects representing the same thing.
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer-readable information storage medium having a program for implementing the above-described means. As an example of the program, there is a computer-usable program (including a program embodied in a carrier wave) which has a processing routine for implementing the above-described means.
When there is a game machine which provides a plurality of game spaces for a game, the game spaces being different from each other in the number of objects representing the same thing, the accuracy of the objects representing the same thing can be set for each of the game spaces in accordance with the number of the objects representing the same thing.
Therefore, the present invention can simply provide a game machine for providing images of a highest quality for each game space in real time, and also provide an information storage medium suitable for use in such a game machine.
(8) In the game machine, information storage medium and program relating to the present invention, the image generation means may generate a more accurate image of an object by using a model which has a larger number of polygons selected from among a plurality of models which are used to generate objects representing the same thing and are different from each other in the number of polygons.
According to the present invention, when generating images of objects by using polygon models, a game machine for providing images of a highest quality for each play pattern or each game space in real time, and also an information storage medium suitable for use in such a game machine can be simply provided.